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UN Daily News Tuesday, 15 March 2016

Issue DH/7116

In the headlines: • Syrian opposition raises issue of detainees, aid

• With Syrian peace talks underway, UN urges

• Lauded for his advocacy, Ban urges renewed

• UN agency welcomes Malawi’s decision to reopen

• 'Survival will be an achievement' for new Afghan

• Security Council extends mandate of UN mission in

•

• UN estimates 12.6 million deaths each year

access as UN-mediated talks continue

support for negotiations and impacted Syrians

pledges to improving lives of women and girls

former camp for Mozambique refugees

Government, says UN envoy

High-level panel on women's economic empowerment holds first meeting at UN

attributable to unhealthy environments

• Ashley Judd appointed Goodwill Ambassador by UN Population Fund

Libya for three months

• As UN Human Rights Council marks 10th

anniversary, Ban urges body to increase 'impact'

• Zimbabwe facing worst malnutrition rates in 15 years – UNICEF

Syrian opposition raises issue of detainees, aid access as UNmediated talks continue 15 March – On a day that began with a minute of silence in honour of those that have lost their lives during the five-year conflict in Syria, the United Nations envoy mediating peace talks among the Syrian parties gave a progress report, saying that opposition representatives raised the issue of detainees today, as well as humanitarian aid to Daraya and other sites of heavy fighting. “There has been so far, as you know, the issue of humanitarian aid and the reduction of violence, but on the detainees’ aspect we have been having nothing in terms of outcome,”

Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura updates the press on the Intra-Syrian Geneva Talks. UN Photo/Jean-Marc Ferré (file)

UN Special Envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, said in Geneva after a meeting with the High Negotiations Committee (HNC).

This was the second day of the new round of intra-Syrian talks, proximity discussions between Government and opposition representatives being mediated by Mr. de Mistura. He said the HNC also raised the issue of extending humanitarian aid to more areas. These could include Daraya, where control has shifted between pro and anti-Government forces over the past years. Both issues, the envoy said, could be taken up by the humanitarian taskforce, which has been created by the International

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Syrian Support Group (ISSG) to oversee aid delivery since a cessation of hostilities took hold on 27 February. The ISSG, of which the UN is a member along with the Arab League, the European Union and 18 countries – including the United States and Russia – has been seeking a path forward for several months. Reacting to the announcement by President Vladimir Putin that Russia is withdrawing the bulk of its forces from Syria, Mr. de Mistura called it a “significant development” which “we hope will have a positive impact on the progress of the negotiations.” In addition to exchanging ideas, Mr. de Mistura has said that he and the HNC exchanged papers “on how to get deeper into the discussion at the next meeting on the transitional aspect of the political process.” The UN envoy had also received a paper from the Government, with whom he met yesterday, as part of his effort to “get all the input from all the sides and then metabolize them, see where there are overlapping, contradictions or even common thinking.” Mr. de Mistura said that he would meet again tomorrow morning with the Government delegation. He would then leave for Bern, where he would inform the Swiss Government, which is supporting the process, about the discussions. As an addition to his international team, the UN envoy appointed Vitaly Naumkin, a Russian expert and academic who will report to Mr. de Mistura. The UN official said he offered the same option to the United States, who is the other co-chair of the ISSG. “The more they are able to contribute professionally to my own capacity of better understanding, the better it is for us,” Mr. de Mistura said.

Lauded for his advocacy, Ban urges renewed pledges to improving lives of women and girls 15 March – Committed to improving the health and well-being of women, children and adolescents, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today urged everyone to join the Every Woman Every Child movement for “greater health, equality and prosperity” around the world. Speaking at a side event of the 60th UN Commission on the Status of Women in New York, the Secretary-General urged everyone to either make a new commitment to the movement or renew an existing one. “I hope we have great promises of support – and even stronger action to keep those promises,” Mr. Ban said at ‘The Roadmap to Realizing Rights: Every Woman Every Child’s Global Strategy for Women’s, Children’s and Adolescents’ Health.’ The event was organized by his Every Woman Every Child office.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon speaks at High-level Event, “The Roadmap to Realizing Rights: Every Woman Every Child’s Global Strategy for Women’s, Children’s and Adolescents’ Health.” UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe

More than 40 countries and 120 stakeholders have committed to more than $125 billion over the next five years to carry out the Every Woman Every Child Strategy. The Strategy, which Mr. Ban launched in 2010 and updated in 2015, aims to end preventable deaths among all women, children and adolescents; to greatly improve their health and well-being; and to bring about the transformative change needed to shape a more prosperous and sustainable future.

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At the event, global gender equality advocates Women Deliver presented the first-ever ‘Delivering for Girls and Women’ award to Mr. Ban in recognition of his work and achievements to improve the lives of women and girls worldwide. Accepting the Award, Mr. Ban said the true champions are “fighting on the frontlines for health rights everyday”. Also speaking at today’s event, the Executive Director of UN Women, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, said that women are crucial to a resilient health system: “Women’s health is a women’s right. Without it, health hangs in the balance.” Ms. Mlambo-Ngcuka also spoke about the health of women and girls expanding to political, social and economic spheres.

'Survival will be an achievement' for new Afghan Government, says UN envoy 15 March – The new Afghan Government, formed through a powersharing agreement, must manage its difficult transition in 2016 by overcoming political, economic and security challenges, the top United Nations official in that country told the Security Council today, as the 15-nation body extended the UN mission there for another year. “In 2016, Afghanistan is being as severely tested as it was in 2015, by the task of managing its difficult transition with its interrelated political, economic and security challenges,” said Nicholas Haysom, the Secretary-General's Special Representative and head of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA). Special Representative and head of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) Nicholas Haysom. UN Photo/Loey Felipe

He highlighted five major hurdles facing the National Unity Government, including a contracting economy, an intensifying insurgency, an increasingly divided political environment, significant medium-term financial demand, and the need to achieve progress towards a sustainable peace. “For 2016, survival will be an achievement” for the Government, he said. “Some may criticize this benchmark as being low, but survival does not mean inaction, or merely 'treading water,' but it means active engagement in confronting the five challenges," he added. Low economic growth On the economic front, there had been an assumption in 2012 that the economy will continue eight per cent annual growth and the exploitation of Afghanistan's abundant mineral resources would drive economic development. “It is now clear however that neither would occur,” Mr. Haysom said. The World Bank now expects low economic growth, off a low base, which in turn has resulted in high unemployment, with hundreds of thousands of young people entering the work force each year finding no jobs. Security threats Turning to the security situation, the Taliban, emboldened by its military successes in Kunduz and elsewhere, will continue to test the Afghan security forces across the country, he noted. Yet in this first year of independent command, the Afghan security forces have largely held their own in the face of continuing high rates of attrition, he added. “The stakes are high, not least because the loss of a provincial capital, even if temporarily, would have significant repercussions for the National Unity Government's political standing,” he said.

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On a positive note, since his previous briefing, the presence of Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Da'esh) has been confined to a smaller area to the east of the country, following operations by Afghan security forces with support from the international military. Divided political situation On the political transition, the Government continues to be subject to criticism on account of the economic and security deterioration even though this is not of its own making. It is being challenged by fractious political elite, the erosion of a necessary sense of national unity, and consequentially that most precious political commodity, confidence in the future, he said. In the face of calls for reviewing the current political framework, the United Nations and the international community have made it clear to all stakeholders that it stands firmly behind the new Government. Despite delays in effective decisionmaking, the Government has now appointed an Attorney General and a Minister of Interior. A number of key posts, however, remain to be filled. With an election date of 15 October announced, electoral reform is important for the National Unity Government to indicate progress in democratisation. The Government has finally issued a decree establishing a new Selection Committee to nominate Independent Election Commissioners this week. Yet the urgency to complete preparations remains. Medium-term funding needs In the coming months, the international community will make critical decisions at Warsaw and Brussels on the level and type of assistance it will continue to provide to Afghanistan, Mr. Haysom said. As the country continues to rely on external funding sources for 69 per cent of Government expenditures, failure by the international community to pledge a medium-term commitment to Afghanistan will have a devastating impact, both materially and on the levels of confidence of ordinary Afghans. Donor expectations of Afghanistan's reform agenda must be realistic, taking into account the formidable challenges facing the country. Progress towards peace The final hurdle is progress towards a sustainable peace. “Afghan's want peace, they deserve peace, but most importantly they need peace,” he said. Without a peace process, the sustainability and viability of all of efforts, in Brussels, Warsaw, New York, and elsewhere to bring stability and prosperity to Afghanistan will be called into question. The establishment of the Quadrilateral Coordination Group is a welcome development that has reinvigorated efforts to put a peace process on track, he said, acknowledging the efforts of Pakistan to assist in midwifing such talks. A successful peace process will require the support of neighbouring countries and the wider region. He, however, called for direct talks between the Taliban and the Afghan Government, noting that he again met with the Taliban Political Commission last week and stressed the need for an intra-Afghan dialogue involving Taliban. They however reiterated that they were not yet ready to engage directly with the Government, he said. He welcomed today's adoption by the Council of a resolution which renewed UNAMA's mandate until 17 March 2017 and reaffirmed its important supporting role, at the request of the Afghan Government.

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High-level panel on women's economic empowerment holds first meeting at UN 15 March – The High-Level Panel on Women’s Economic Empowerment held its inaugural meeting today at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, where the 60th session of the Commission on the Status of Women is underway this month. Addressing a room of prominent leaders from government, business, academia and civil society, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the group can collectively lead the charge for women’s economic empowerment.

Dignity factory workers in Accra, Ghana, producing shirts for overseas clients. Photo: World Bank/Dominic Chavez

“Women and girls deserve the same access to quality education, economic resources and political participation as men and boys,” Mr. Ban said, noting this is both the global agenda and his own personal philosophy.

Women and girls “must also enjoy the same employment, legal rights, leadership and decision-making opportunities,” he added. Launched at the World Economic Forum in Davos this January, the Panel is expected to provide recommendations linked to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development on how to improve economic outcomes for women and promote their leadership in driving sustainable and inclusive, environmentally sensitive economic growth, according to UN Women. The Panel, which is co-chaired by Costa Rican President Luis Guillermo Solis and Simona Scarpaleggia, the CEO of IKEA Switzerland, will produce the first report this September, followed by a final report in March 2017. According to Mr. Ban, the Panel is strategically positions to demonstrate high-level leadership and commitment to realizing women’s economic empowerment; to set priorities for accelerating women’s economic empowerment, and to demonstrate how they are already being successfully carried out; and to serve as examples of how government, business, civil society and development partners can join forces for women’s economic empowerment. The Panel is backed by the UN Women, the UN International Labour Organization (ILO), the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, with support for its work provided by the UK Department of International Development. Today’s meeting took place on the second day of the CSW, the principal global intergovernmental body exclusively dedicated to the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women. The priority theme for the 60th session is women’s empowerment and its link to sustainable development.

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Ashley Judd appointed Goodwill Ambassador by UN Population Fund 15 March – The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the lead UN agency for delivery a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person’s potential is fulfilled, today appointed actor and activist Ashley Judd as its Goodwill Ambassador. “Ashley and UNFPA will be joining forces to raise awareness of the huge work that still needs to be done across the world to stop women dying giving life and to empower women to choose when and how often to become pregnant,” said UNFA Executive Director, Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin. UN Population Fund (UNFPA) Executive Director, Babatunde Osotimehin (right), introduces acclaimed actor Ashley Judd as the agency’s new Goodwill Ambassador. UN Photo/Mark Garten

In a press conference with Dr. Osotimehin announcing the appointment, Ms. Judd told journalists that that it was an “honour” to be appointed as UNFPA’s Goodwill Ambassador and to advocate for women’s rights.

“At the heart of sustainable development is the ability of a woman to regulate her fertility,” Ms. Judd said. She also spoke out about violence against women, saying that the family is often the seat of gender-based violence and other violations of human rights. In a press release, UNFPA commended Ms. Judd for her strong commitment to social justice and passionate advocacy of the right of every girl and boy to enter adulthood safely and empowered. “Being a girl is not a crime, it is a privilege,” she said. “I am excited to do what I can to help girls and women everywhere contribute to their potential – which is indeed awesome – to the progress of all humankind.” Ms. Judd’s appointment comes at the opening of the historic 60th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women, the principal global intergovernmental body exclusively dedicated to the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women. The priority theme for the 60th session is women’s empowerment and its link to sustainable development. Goodwill Ambassador Judd will give the keynote address tomorrow, at a special event at the UN General Assembly Hall, using words and music to call for an end to female genital mutilation (FGM), child marriage and son preference.

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Zimbabwe facing worst malnutrition rates in 15 years – UNICEF 15 March – Zimbabwe is facing its worst malnutrition rates in 15 years, as nearly 33,000 children are in urgent need of treatment for severe acute malnutrition, according to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). The agency reported today that the number of hungry families in the country has doubled in the last eight months. A national vulnerability assessment survey released in February shows nearly 2.8 million people in rural Zimbabwe, or 30 per cent of the rural population, will require food assistance, of which 1.4 million were children.

A boy in rural Zimbabwe holds a handful of dried Amarula fruit seed which he will eat for lunch. Some school children are skipping meals and foraging for wild fruit as food stocks run out, due to the current drought, associated with El Niño. Photo: UNICEF/Richard Nyamanhindi

“Families in rural Zimbabwe are locked in a struggle for survival after two consecutive seasons of failed rains, attributed to the El Niño weather phenomenon,” UNICEF spokesperson Christophe Boulierac told reporters in Geneva.

Those seasons of failed rains had diminished food harvests and reserves, increased hunger and malnutrition, dried up water sources and decimated livestock, he said. As often in such cases, children are enduring the greatest force of the crisis. Overall, 2.1 per cent of children under five years old in Zimbabwe have severe acute malnutrition, exceeding the international threshold of two per cent that indicates the need for an emergency response, he noted. The majority of children with severe acute malnutrition are between one and two years old. In this situation, he added, children face increased risks of child labour, early marriage and violence, and there are also risks of disease arising from the lack of access to safe water. In response to a question, Mr. Boulierac said that the Zimbabwean Government has declared a state of disaster and has launched an appeal for $1.5 billion, but it was not known how much of that sum has been raised. UNICEF is appealing for $21 million, out of which $430,000 has been mobilized so far.

With Syrian peace talks underway, UN urges support for negotiations and impacted Syrians 15 March – Marking the fifth anniversary of the Syrian conflict, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today appealed to the stakeholders and the Security Council to fulfil their responsibilities and to help make the United Nations-mediated peace talks a success. “If we miss this opportunity the consequences for the Syrian people and the world are too frightening to contemplate,” the SecretaryGeneral said in a message aimed at the Syrian parties, regional and international stakeholders and the Council. Already in the past five years, more than one-quarter million Syrians have been killed and nearly half of all Syrians have been forced from their homes. Terrorist groups such as Daesh and Al Nusra Front have capitalised UN News Centre • www.un.org/news

Residents of the Tesreen Camp in Aleppo, Syria. Photo: OCHA/Josephine Guerrero

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on the chaos, with foreign fighters and sectarian militias continuing to pour into Syria, Mr. Ban said. The conflict “has been the scene of the use of chemical weapons, siege and starvation as a tool of war, unlawful detention, torture, and the indiscriminate and criminal shelling and aerial bombardment of civilians,” said Mr. Ban. Syrian men, women and children feel abandoned by the international community, he said, urging those responsible for these crimes to be held to account. “I repeat my call to the Security Council to refer the situation in Syria to the International Criminal Court,” Mr. Ban said. “In Syria as elsewhere, peace without justice is not sustainable.” Meanwhile, the intra-Syrian talks commenced this week with UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura at the helm. The talks are being convened in the context of the full implementation of the Geneva Communiqué as the basis for a Syrian-led political transition. Reacting today to the announcement by President Vladimir Putin that Russia is withdrawing the bulk of its forces from Syria, Mr. de Mistura called it a “significant development” which “we hope will have a positive impact on the progress of the negotiations.” More than funding needed As the peace negotiations continue in Geneva, there are nearly five million refugees who had been forced to flee to neighbouring countries. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, and the agency’s Special Envoy, Angelina Jolie Pitt, today called on Governments to follow through on financial pledges, as well as jobs, education, and other forms of international support for refugees. “A tragedy of this scale demands solidarity beyond funding. Put simply, we need more countries to share the load by taking a greater share of refugees from what has become the biggest displacement crisis of a generation,” said Mr. Grandi. Five years on, the conflict has spawned 4.8 million refugees in neighbouring countries, hundreds of thousands in Europe, and 6.6 million people displaced inside Syria against a pre-war population of over 20 million. In London last month, Governments pledged $5.9 billion for the 2016 appeal for humanitarian and development aid. In today’s statement, Mr. Grandi called for additional forms of support, including better access to livelihoods and educations, and a greater sharing of responsibility by countries that are limiting and blocking numbers of refugees seeking safety in their borders. The international community is at a “crossroads,” he said, and “if the world fails to work together due to short-term interests, lack of courage and knee-jerk reactions to shift the burden elsewhere, we will look back ruefully on this lost opportunity to act with solidarity and shared humanity.” Call for reason, calm and foresight In Lebanon, Ms. Jolie Pitt today marked the “grim anniversary” by helping the UN agency in an informal refugee settlement in Fayda, in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley. Speaking to reporters in pouring rain, she urged Governments to focus on the absolute root causes, and to display courage and foresight in their decisions. “My plea today is that we need governments around the world to show leadership: to analyse the situation and understand exactly what their country can do,” she said, to figure out how many refugees can be assisted and in what time frame, and to UN News Centre • www.un.org/news

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address the fears among their citizens. “That starts with having a very robust asylum procedure to be able to hear the needs of the desperate families to identify who is most vulnerable and who has a genuine refugee claim,” she explained. She appealed also for Governments to uphold the 1951 Convention on Refugees and basic human rights law: “it is both necessary and possible to protect people fleeing persecution and death and protect citizens at home. It should not be reduced to a choice between one or the other.” The Special Envoy acknowledged that people in many different countries have fears about the refugee situation and its potential impact on their communities, livelihoods and security. “It is not wrong to feel unsettled faced by a crisis of such complexity and such magnitude. But we must not let fears get the better of us,” she said. “It is a time for reason and calm and foresight.” New pathways Later this month, UNHCR will host a high-level international conference in Geneva , calling on Governments for a major increase in countries hosting Syrians. To date, some 170,000 such places have been pledged by governments around the world. UNHCR hopes to increase that to at least 10 per cent of the registered refugee population, currently at 4.8 million people in the immediate surrounding region alone, over the next few years. Secretary-General Ban and High Commissioner Grandi will open the ministerial-level meeting on 30 March.

UN agency welcomes Malawi’s decision to reopen former camp for Mozambique refugees 15 March – The United Nations refugee agency today welcomed a decision by the Malawian Government to reopen a former refugee camp to help cope with the rising numbers of people fleeing internal fighting in Mozambique. The decision was announced on Friday and involves reopening the Luwani camp, which previously hosted Mozambican refugees during the 1977-1992 civil war and was finally closed in 2007. The Office of UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said preparations are under way for the move. Located some 65 kilometres inside Malawi, Luwani has more than 160 hectares of space, including A market at Dzaleka Refugee Camp in Dowa district, Malawi. Photo: forest. UNICEF/Francois d’Elbee

“Refugees will have better facilities and services there, including health, education, water and protection, and, importantly, it will be safer,” UNHCR spokesperson Leo Dobbs told reporters in Geneva, noting that the existing Kapise camp, just five kilometres from the border, will be used mainly as a transit facility. Most new arrivals are in Kapise, and to date, 9,600 people have been registered by UNHCR staff and Government workers, he said. Including those waiting to be registered, the total is almost 11,500. Daily arrival rates have risen from around 130 people a day before late February to around 250 people every day now.

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Several partners, including the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), World Food Programme (WFP) and Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), are providing essential services in Kapise, including water boreholes, food and health care, but conditions generally remain tough. Mozambicans who arrived earlier in the year spoke of having fled deadly attacks on their villages. More recent arrivals have said they were fleeing out of fear of clashes this month between Government forces and RENAMO, the main opposition group, which wants to take control of six northern provinces, namely Manica, Sofala, Tete, Zambezia, Nampula and Niassa. Lack of funding for UNHCR and others is a problem. About $1.8 million is required to meet immediate needs, but more will be needed to cope with the growing number of arrivals. Malawi also hosts some 25,000 refugees, mostly from the Great Lakes region and the Horn of Africa, in the Dzaleka camp, about 50 kilometres from the capital city of Lilongwe. The site is full to capacity, and food rations have been cut to 50 per cent since October and resources to assist refugees are limited.

Security Council extends mandate of UN mission in Libya for three months 15 March – The Security Council today extended the mandate of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) until 15 June, recognizing the need for a short extension so it can continue working with the country to establish the Government of National Accord. After months of negotiations, a UN-brokered agreement was signed in December 2015 in Skhirat, Morocco, on the formation of a unity government in Libya, consisting of the Presidency Council and Cabinet supported by the other State institutions, including the House of Representatives and State Council. UNSMIL was mandated in 2011 through a Security Council resolution to ensure, among other priorities, transition to democracy, promotion of the rule of law, protection of human rights, control of unsecured arms, and the building of governance capacity, following the revolution which toppled the dictatorship of Muammar Gaddafi. Security Council votes to extend mandate of UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL). UN Photo/Manuel Elias

Meanwhile, in today’s resolution extending the mandate, the Council also requested that the UN Secretary-General report within 60 days following consultations with the Libyan authorities on recommendations for UNSMIL’s support to the next phases of the Libyan political transition process. In a press statement yesterday, the Security Council reiterated its support for the Libyan national unity government and renewed its call on UN Member States to end official contact with parallel institutions that claim legitimate authority, but are outside of December’s political agreement.

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UN estimates 12.6 million deaths each year attributable to unhealthy environments 15 March – An estimated 12.6 million people died as a result of living or working in an unhealthy environment in 2012 – nearly one in four of total global deaths, according to new estimates from the World Health Organization (WHO). Environmental risk factors, such as air, water and soil pollution, chemical exposures, climate change, and ultraviolet radiation, reportedly contribute to more than 100 diseases and injuries. “A healthy environment underpins a healthy population,” said WHO’s Director-General, Dr. Margaret Chan, in a press release. “If countries do not take actions to make environments where people live and work healthy, millions will continue to become ill and die too young,” she warned.

An estimated 12.6 million deaths each year are attributable to unhealthy environments. Photo: World Bank/John Hogg

Rise of noncommunicable diseases The second edition of the report, Preventing disease through healthy environments: a global assessment of the burden of disease from environmental risks, reveals that since it was first published a decade ago, deaths due to noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), mostly attributable to air pollution – including exposure to second-hand tobacco smoke – amount to as much as 8.2 million of these deaths. NCDs, such as stroke, heart disease, cancers and chronic respiratory disease, now amount to nearly two-thirds of the total deaths caused by unhealthy environments. At the same time, deaths from infectious diseases, such as diarrhoea and malaria, often related to poor water, sanitation and waste management, have declined. Increases in access to safe water and sanitation have been key contributors to this trend, alongside better access to immunization, insecticide-treated mosquito nets and essential medicines. Healthier environment: healthier people The report emphasizes cost-effective measures that countries can take to reverse the upward trend of environment-related disease and deaths. These include reducing the use of solid fuels for cooking and increasing access to low-carbon energy technologies. “There’s an urgent need for investment in strategies to reduce environmental risks in our cities, homes and workplaces,” said Dr. Maria Neira, the Director of WHO’s Department of Public Health, Environmental and Social Determinants of Health. “Such investments can significantly reduce the rising worldwide burden of cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, injuries, and cancers, and lead to immediate savings in healthcare costs,” she added. Environmental risks take their greatest toll on young children and older people, the report finds, with children under five and adults aged 50 to 75 years most impacted. According to WHO, the deaths of 1.7 million children under five and 4.9 million adults aged 50 to 75 could be prevented every year through better environmental management. Lower respiratory infections and diarrhoeal diseases mostly impact children under five, while older people are most impacted by NCDs.

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Burden of disease in WHO Regions Regionally, the report finds, low- and middle-income countries in the WHO South-East Asia and Western Pacific Regions had the largest environment-related disease burden in 2012, with a total of 7.3 million deaths, most attributable to indoor and outdoor air pollution. In addition, low- and middle-income countries bear the greatest environmental burden in all types of diseases and injuries, however for certain NCDs, such as cardiovascular diseases and cancers, the per capita disease burden can also be relatively high in high-income countries. Top causes of environment-related deaths Looking across more than 100 disease and injury categories, the report finds that the vast majority of environment-related deaths are due to cardiovascular diseases, such as stroke (2.5 million deaths annually) and ischaemic heart disease (2.3 million deaths annually). Meanwhile, unintentional injuries, such as road traffic accidents, and cancer each account for 1.7 million deaths every year. Strategies to reduce environmental disease burden The report cites proven strategies for improving the environment and preventing diseases. For instance, using clean technologies and fuels for domestic cooking, heating and lighting would reduce acute respiratory infections, chronic respiratory diseases, cardiovascular diseases and burns. Increasing access to safe water and adequate sanitation and promoting hand washing would further reduce diarrhoeal diseases. Furthermore, tobacco smoke-free legislation reduces exposure to second-hand tobacco smoke, and thereby also reduces cardiovascular diseases and respiratory infections. Improving urban transit and urban planning, and building energy-efficient housing would reduce air pollution-related diseases and promote safe physical activity.

As UN Human Rights Council marks 10th anniversary, Ban urges body to increase 'impact' 15 March – Human rights are, sadly, “under attack” worldwide, and the United Nations Human Rights Council must increase its impact on the ground over its second decade, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today as the Organization's main human rights body marked the 10th anniversary of its creation. “Ten years on, I commend the Council on making important progress towards putting the human rights pillar back at the centre of the United Nations system,” the UN chief said at an anniversary event organized by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. UN Photo/Jean-Marc Ferré

When the UN General Assembly voted to create the Human Rights Council 10 years ago, Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson, Assembly President at that time, had described the occasion as “a new beginning for the promotion and protection of human rights.” Today, Mr. Ban said that over the decade, human rights mechanisms have been strengthened, with such instruments as the Universal Periodic Review, which periodically examines the human rights performance of all 193 UN Member States. The Council's work on Burundi, Guinea, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Syria and many other places has helped the international community to respond to human rights emergencies and work towards accountability, he noted.

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In particular, Syria figured high in Mr. Ban's speech, as today also marked the start of a sixth year of conflict there. “For five years, the people of that country have endured horrific and widespread human rights abuses including extrajudicial executions and torture,” he said, noting that over 250,000 Syrians have been killed, and nearly half of all Syrians have been displaced from their homes. Mr. Ban repeated his call to the Security Council to refer the situation in Syria to the International Criminal Court, while also urging Syrian parties, regional and international stakeholders and the Security Council, to make the inter-Syrian talks successful, to end this human rights and humanitarian catastrophe. The UN chief said an important task for the 47-member Human Rights Council is to reinforce the links between human rights, peace and security, and development. This interdependency is also at the heart of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development adopted by the Assembly last year, which serves as the global blueprint for ending poverty and building a safer, healthier world. “While Member States have the primary responsibility for upholding rights, it is Member States that are all too often in breach of their commitments,” he said, urging the Human Rights Council to more than ever pursue its work with courage and persistence.

The UN Daily News is prepared at UN Headquarters in New York by the News Services Section of the News and Media Division, Department of Public Information (DPI)